Raptors coach Sam Mitchell yesterday claimed total indifference as to which of his players had demanded trades and which of his players hadn't prior to the deadline last Thursday. "As a coach, I never have asked a player if he wanted to be traded," Mitchell said. "You can't do that. What if he says yes? Then how do you play that guy? So that's information I don't need to know.

"I go on the premise that every guy is ready to play and every guy is prepared to play. I've never asked that question and I never will."

Well, here's the answer anyway.

Donyell Marshall never asked to be traded publicly, but his desire to be dealt was passed along to the Raptors through his agent. Eric Williams bluntly and publicly asked to be dealt. And little-used players such as Loren Woods, Lamond Murray and Aaron Williams would not have turned down trades, either.

The Raptors made no moves near the deadline.

"No, I don't (have to know who wants out), because if it's a guy I'm playing, why do I need to know that?" Mitchell said. "So he makes a mistake in the game. Do I assume the wrong thing, because he said he wanted to be traded?

"You all worry about (the trade deadline) more than I do. I can't control who gets traded and who doesn't. So I don't worry about it. It never crossed my mind to even think about it."

Novel approach, coach.

JOINED AT THE TIP

Raptors veteran Jalen Rose prominently was mentioned in trade rumours early this season, but the club essentially took him off the market more than a month ago.

"I think the big thing about my trade speculation was that it was tied in with Vince (Carter, who was dealt to the New Jersey Nets on Dec. 17)," Rose said.

"The thing I didn't like about the beginning of the season was, it always was Jalen and Vince, or Vince and Jalen. If he sat out a second or fourth quarter, I sat out a second or fourth quarter. If he was playing 30 minutes, I was playing 30 minutes. I didn't like the way we were tied in from that aspect, whether we were going to be traded together or not."